Another U-Turn? UK Could Look To End Hotel Quarantine Again

Simple Flying

By Tom Boon

Published Dec 13, 2021

A Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330 passenger plane is seen above a hotel coming in to land at London Heathrow Airport in west London on February 14, 2021. - A new 10-day hotel quarantine regime for travellers arriving in the UK from 33 coronavirus variant hotspots begins on February 15, despite concern from the country's busiest airport Heathrow that "significant gaps" remain in the plans. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The UK could be looking to scrap hotel quarantine for vaccinated red-list travelers, according to reports. Since the emergence of the Omicron variant, travelers to the UK from eight African countries have been required to shell out for costly hotel accommodation provided by the government upon their arrival.

Governments have been engaged in a never-ending game of cat and mouse throughout the pandemic, trying to allow travel where possible while stopping the international spread of COVID-19. Different nations have brought in differing rules, some far harsher than others. At one point, the UK's rules were among the stricter portion, prohibiting people from leaving the country for non-essential travel.

Scrapping the red-list again?

It seems as though the United Kingdom Government could be looking to overhaul the red list again, according to a report from The Telegraph. The publication reports that the red list could be ended as soon as this week, with fully vaccinated travelers instead facing a testing requirement. The publication cites the Mail on Sunday for breaking the news.

The idea of the red-list in its current form was to attempt to stop the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant to the United Kingdom. In late November, it was brought back with a handful of southern African nations. However, with 3,137 cases already reported in the country, according to Sky News, the variant is already in the door. Instead, it would make sense to move to the system seen in other countries with COVID-19 variants already established in the UK.

British Airways, UK Government, Travel Restrictions — The return of the UK red list has led to a portion of the flight cuts. Photo: Mapchart.net

According to the Telegraph, the UK's Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, last week revealed that increasing rates of the Omicron variant in the UK would lead to a smaller need for travel restrictions.

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Finally, a break for South Africa?

It would be great news for South Africa, in particular, if the UK were to scrap the red list. The country was effectively on the list before it was conceived after the nation discovered the Beta variant. From December 23rd to October 11th, travel from South Africa was heavily restricted. After ten months of restrictions, the country finally caught a break when the red list was dissolved in early October, only to end up back on it 46 days later.

British Airways, Airbus A380, Johannesburg — British Airways' Johannesburg A380 route would benefit from such a change. Photo: Getty Images

With travel being heavily restricted on the typically high-demand route for so long, its reopening would be a boon for travelers and airlines. British Airways had been planning to operate the Airbus A380 on the route from mid-January to cope with the demand, though the recent addition to the red-list led to this being postponed until February 1st. If the country were to come off the red list, this could move forward again.

Do you think the United Kingdom Government should end the red list again? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!